Seriously delicious clean food fit for a princess

Paleo Black Forrest Cheesecake

Just in time for Christmas.. My Black Forrest Cheesecake is made with fresh cherries and is a rich chocolate dessert that is simply delicious.

You can enjoy it by itself as a rich chocolate treat… or for something truly special – add a few more fresh cherries and a dollop of whipped coconut cream.

TIP : If you don’t have a cherry de-pipping device, you can use a chopstick – just place the cherry on a chopping board and firmly push the fatter end of the chopstick down through the middle of the cherry starting from the top where the stem comes out of the cherry through to the bottom (this will push the pip out onto your chopping board).

A dairy free, raw cheesecake based on cashew nuts. It has a lovely rich chocolate taste with a layer of fresh cherries… delicious

Paleo Princess: Paleo Princess

Recipe type: Modern Australian

Ingredients

BASE INGREDIENTS

1 cup blanched almond meal

⅛ teaspoon bi carb soda (baking soda)

⅛ teaspoon finely ground himalayan salt

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 Tablespoons honey

3 Tablespoon cacao powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

FILLING

2½ cups cashews soaked in water overnight

⅓ cup coconut oil

½ cup + 2 tablespoons raw honey

⅔ cup raw cacao powder

150g dark chocolate (preferably 70-90% cocoa)

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

4 Tablespoons hot water

1 Tablespoon gelatine powder

¾ cup coconut milk

CHERRY LAYER

500g fresh cherries, pips removed

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak overnight.

Continue with the next step the following day….

Line the base only of a spring-form cake tin with baking paper

Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.

Place the base ingredients into a bowl and mix together to form a dough.

Place the dough on the base of the spring-form cake tin and use your fingers to press and spread out the dough evenly across the base.

Place in oven for 7-10 minutes

Remove from oven and place springform cake tin aside to cool.

Drain water from cashews (rinse the cashews in water if they are a little sticky)

Place the cashews into a thermomix with the honey and blend until very smooth. Alternatively, place the cashews, coconut milk and honey into a food processor in batches and blend until very smooth (try placing half the cashews and half the honey in the first batch, the remainder in the second batch).

Place hot water in a small mug and add gelatine and coffee granules and stir until gelatine has dissolved.

Add the gelatine mixture and coconut oil to the smooth cashew mixture and blend until well combined.

Melt the dark chocolate and add to the cashew mixture and mix until well combined then set aside.

Place the cherries into a bowl making sure the pips have been removed and cut some of the cherries in half.

Add the honey and cinnamon to the cherries and mix well with your hands until the cherries are evenly coated.

When the base layer in the springform tin is cool, you can spread the cherry mixture evenly over the base.

You can then pour the cashew mixture into the spring-form cake tin over the cherries.

If you wish, you can decorate the top of the cake with fresh cherries.

Place in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours.

When ready to serve, slowly remove the cheesecake from the spring-form tin.

Serve on its own for a delicious chocolate treat…

Alternatively, you may wish to serve with whipped coconut cream. Enjoy x M